Lyric Poem · Nature

I have a Bird in spring

by Emily Dickinson

Which for myself doth sing —

The spring decoys.

And as the summer nears —

And as the Rose appears,

Robin is gone.

Yet do I not repine

Knowing that Bird of mine

Though flown —

Learneth beyond the sea

Melody new for me

And will return.

Fast is a safer hand

Held in a truer Land

Are mine —

And though they now depart,

Tell I my doubting heart

They're thine.

In a serener Bright,

In a more golden light

I see

Each little doubt and fear,

Each little discord here

Removed.

Then will I not repine,

Knowing that Bird of mine

Though flown

Shall in a distant tree

Bright melody for me

Return.

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“I have a Bird in spring” by Emily Dickinson — quilloak.com/poems/i-have-a-bird-in-spring

Quick facts

Poem: I have a Bird in spring
Poet: Emily Dickinson
Length: 30 lines
Form: Lyric Poem
Themes: Nature, Spring, Summer

Craft notes

How this poem works

Measured from the text on this page, not copied from a summary. Counts are approximate: syllables and rhymes come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, which models General American English, so dialect, older pronunciation, and performance can all change what you hear.

Shape: 30 lines · 5 sestets
Line length: Mostly 6-syllable lines (trimeter length).
Refrain: “Knowing that Bird of mine”Repeated lines act as the poem's hinge or drumbeat.

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Text, source & rights

A traceable edition

Full-text display is based on the committed source record and a United States term-expiry review.

Author record: Emily Dickinson1830–1886
Source record: PoetryDBI have a Bird in spring by emily-dickinson, PoetryDB transcription
Display decision: Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
Publication record: Not recorded in the imported source
Text fingerprint: SHA-256 5e83cee2d2d1f50c…
Editorial handling: Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.

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Lyric Poem Nature Spring Summer

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